2014 ASHS Annual Conference

Objective(s):
Growers have many questions regarding irrigation management and there are significant opportunities for extension outreach with irrigation. The objectives of this workshop are: 1)To highlight successful outreach programs in irrigation management of horticultural crops. 2)To show extension programs that work with growers on instrumental monitoring and scheduling of irrigation on-farm and in nurseries. 3) To present successful extension education programs on irrigation management best crop response while also considering environmental concerns of water conservation and nutrient management (leaching of nutrients 4) To show how to do on-farm demonstrations such as irrigation monitoring, dye tests, and leachate monitoring. 5) To present extension irrigation educational opportunities with small and beginning farmers in the US and in developing countries.

Irrigation is an essential production practice for many horticultural crops including vegetables, ornamentals, and fruits. Growers have many questions regarding irrigation and irrigation management and there are significant opportunities for extension outreach with irrigation from the basics of setting up and managing irrigation for new and beginning farmers to irrigation monitoring and scheduling for more experienced growers.  In this workshop successful outreach programs on irrigation management of horticultural crops will be presented with instrumental monitoring and scheduling of irrigation on-farm and in nurseries, irrigation management for best crop response, and irrigation management to address environmental concerns of water conservation and nutrient management.  Featured are an multi-state SCRI program that seeks to extend information to field (soil- based) nurseries, container-nurseries and greenhouses to implement sensor-based irrigation management strategies; regional based extension programs with soil moisture sensing as a tool to improve irrigation scheduling for commercial vegetables and small fruit including soil moisture sensing options, sensor placement, and evaluating response from farmer cooperators regarding the value of monitoring; and a regional program to improve growers’ understanding of the interdependence between fertilization, irrigation, and nutrient leaching below the root zone and the use of on-farm demonstrations such as dye tests to educate growers.  Another topic presented is how to establish successful irrigation outreach programs for small growers and beginning farmers in the US and in developing countries.